If you are actively seeking legal representation, you should make sure to search out a lawyer who is willing to go to all lengths to bring you the compensation you deserve for your case. This involves staying on top of witnesses, constantly negotiating with insurance agents, scheduling meetings and depositions, and not electing to pursue unfair settlement offers. Your injuries can prevent you from continuing work at your job and permanently alter your quality of life, and your lawyer of choice should prioritize your health and longevity. In some cases, going to trial is the best way to do this, and all lawyers should be willing to go trial for their clients if the need arises. A large portion of the reason individuals enlist the help of lawyers is because of a lack of knowledge or experience in the legal system, and they need assistance in fighting for settlements and arguing their cases in court. An attorney who refuses to go to court is not acting in the best interests of his client. At Normandie Law Firm, we realize that some cases can only be settled in a court of law, and we are more than willing to go the extra mile to fight for your rights and compensation under the supervision of a judge or jury. Our clients ask us questions about the need to go to trial and what we would prefer. Examples of these questions include:
- My lawyer said he won’t go to court for me. What can I do?
- Should I find a settlement lawyer or a trial lawyer?
- What are my options if my attorney refuses to go to trial?
Basics of Trial
A lawyer must be willing to go to trial to bring you the best compensation possible. If he is not willing to go that route, you should look into finding another attorney. Trials are usually conducted when a settlement cannot be reached between the two involved parties – your attorney and the insurance agency may be unable to come to an agreement because one of the offers is too low or there are too many potential benefits being sought for a less extensive case. There are numerous reasons your lawyer may elect to go to trial.
For one, trials are usually carried out by a judge and a jury. This means that your lawyer has to convince a third party that you deserve compensation for your claim, which is much easier from an objective, law-abiding standpoint than attempting to convince the insurance agency they should pay you. The reason is simple: the insurance company must focus on its own interests, paramount of which is saving as much money as possible while spending as little as they can.
When in trial, your lawyer can call into effect the laws pertaining to your case and illustrate why they apply. Citing facts and proving the liability of another company or person is more effective on a group of people as well as fair; it is why being judged by your peers is a part of the common law. There is much less bias in these kinds of cases.
A drawback to going to trial is the amount of time it takes to actually get to court. A date for trial may be set months or years in the future. You may be asked to sit on evidence for that long, and the longer it takes, the more likely it is for your memories to become foggy in some way, or for witnesses to no longer be available, or for the insurance company to push you to the point of exhaustion. You may be extremely drained, both physically and mentally, and the stress of going to trial can create adverse health effects.
For this reason, you need a lawyer who is willing to go through all the suffering with you and who will be able to assuage your stresses and misgivings. An attorney who is not willing to go the extra mile may not be worth your time or money.
The Concept of a “Settlement Lawyer”
In the legal field, some attorneys are notorious for taking on cases with the express intent of resolving them as quickly as possible. These attorneys are usually less likely to bring you fair or sizeable settlements because they are only concerned with their own income; the logic is simple: take on as many cases as possible, argue for meager settlements, take cuts from the profits, rinse, and repeat. These lawyers and similar practitioners are known as “settlement lawyers.” Settlement lawyers are named purely because of what the name implies – they tend to pursue settlements from insurance agencies much more often than going to court.
Insurance companies would prefer to deal with settlement lawyers over trial lawyers because they can be certain that their lower offers will be accepted with greater gusto and more consistency. On the other hand, an insurance company that is faced with a lawyer who is willing to go to trial may be more willing to offer a sizeable settlement, especially if the company knows that they are more likely to emerge as losers.
The Proper Lawyer for You
It is important that you seek out a lawyer who is willing to go to trial. The refusal to do so may indicate that he is not a skilled negotiator or does not have the best track record in court. It could even mean that he is too lazy to go to court if he doesn’t have to. If you are being represented by an attorney who is expressing doubt in going to trial for you or has shown that he is not interested in pursuing that course of action, contact our firm today for a second opinion on your case.
At Normandie Law Firm, you can rest assured that our lawyers are not merely settlement lawyers. We prioritize our clients and do everything we can to bring them the compensation they deserve. We are more than willing to go over your case with you and discuss why we believe that attorneys like us who are always ready to go fight for your rights in court are better choices than the alternatives.
Our legal consultations are totally free and entirely confidential, and you have no commitment when you talk with us. You are encouraged to ask any questions you think of, and we will do our best to give you the most informative answers possible, including questions about settlement lawyers and trial lawyers and our opinion on your current legal representation. If you select us to move forward with your claim, you are also given a zero fee guarantee that states that you do not pay us a dime unless we win your case. Further, that payment will not come from your pocket but from the settlement itself – this is done to ensure that you face no monetary loss by seeking legal help; in the event we lose, you do not have any financial losses, and owe us nothing.
To receive a second opinion on your case or to talk about your lawyer not willing to go to court for you, call Normandie Law Firm today.
